T-square holding clip



July 5, 1949. J. P. GIBBoNs ETAI. 2,475,021

TEE SQUARE HOLDING CLIP Filed Jan. 19, 194e waff/7W. f

Patented July 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,475,021 '1J-SQUARE HOLDING CLIP .lohn P. Gibbons, Chicago, and William P. McGuire, Arlington Heights, Ill.

Application January 19, 1946, Serial No. 642,236

2 Claims. (Cl. 33--80) This invention relates to drafting implements and particularly to a device for holding the head of a T-square in rm contact with the guiding edge of a drawing board.

The main objects of this invention are to provide a simple and improved means for holding the head of a T-square against the guiding edge of a drawing board while permitting free movement of the blade to various -parallel po-sitions; to provide an improved form of spring clip adapted to be readily removed or applied to the free end of a T-square; to provide a form of such clip which will hold the square gently but positively in the desired relation to the board no matter at what angle the drawing board is tilted; and to provide a spring clip of this kind that is adaptable to fit ontoany width of T-square blade and which is inexpensive and simple to manufacture.

Several illustrative embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of a drawing board and T-square equipped with a holding clip according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing one form of the clip in its relation to the T-square blade and drawing board.

Fig 3 is a similar perspective view of a modified form of the clip.

Fig. 4 is a similar perspective view of a further modication of the clip.

As shown in the drawings, the T-square may compri-se the usual thin blade I and head 2, secured in xed relation to each other by screws 3. The inside edge of the head is adapted to bear against and slide along one edge 4-.I oi a drawing board 4 and hold the blade at rightangles to such edge.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the device or clip is made up of a dat body plate 5 formed to fit under the T-square blade. A tongue 6, which is a continuation of the body plate, is bent back upon itself to form an open-ended resilient clamp adapted to grasp the broadside of the T-square blade. The tongue 6 is normally urged toward the body plate 5. An arm 'l integral with the body plate 5 and depending at right-angles therefrom has a tongue 8, positioned to extend along and bear upon the edge 4.2 of the drawing board. The extending tongue 8 is bent inwardly upon itself to form a resilient loop which is positioned to bear against the edge 4.2 of the drawing board. In use the body plate 5 and the tongue 6 are snapped onto the broadside of the free end of the T-square blade and positioned thereon so that the arm 'i rest-s flush against the edge 4.2 of the drawing boar-d while the tongue 8 bears resiliently against this edge, which is remote from the head of the T-square, thus exerting a pull on the head that is directed along the blade of the T--square In the modified form illustrated in Fig. 3, the clip comprises a hat body plate 9, formed to fit under the T-square blade. A substantially U-shaped xed jaw IIJ is formed at one end of the body plate by a part that extends upwardly then inwardly. At the opposite end of plate 9 a tongue-like extension is bent upwardly then downwardly to form a vertically extending spring loop II, the lower end of which is bent to form a resilient jaw I2 bearing toward the jaw I0 having vertically extending lip I3 to facilitate the release of the jaws.

An arm I4 depends at right-angles from the body plate 9 and may be formed by bending a portion of the plate downwardly at a angle. A tongue I5, exten-ding sidewise from the arm I4 is bent inwardly in suitable form to bear resiliently against the edge of the drawing board.

In u-se the body plate 9 is slid under the free end of the T-square, the spring tongue loop I I and the ringer I3 being grasped between the thumb and index nger to exert pressure to separate the jaws and allow the jaws to slide freely along the edges of the T-square blade. The jaws are slid along the blade edge until the at arm I4 abuts firmly against the drawing board whereupon ypressure is released to allow the jaws to rmly grip the T-square blade. The tongue I5 will then bear resiliently against the edge of the drawing board to hold the T-square head in rrn parallel engagement with the opposite edge of the board.

In the further modified form shown in Fig. 4, the clip comprises a body plate bent upon itself to form a U-shaped clip having portions IB and I1 for respectively engaging the bottom and top faces of the T-square and being slotted at I8 within its margins to form a centrally located spring tongue which is bent downward in an ogee curve so as to bear against the edge of the drawing board as shown.

In use the clip is tted onto the free end of the T-square blade so as to grip the blade and to `position the spring tongue I9 to bear resiliently on the edge of the drawing board to hold the head of the T-square in rm engagement with the opposite edge of the board.

All of the above-described clips may be stamped from spring sheet stock, being rst cut to shape and then bent in the forms herein-described. As all of the clips are designed to bear against one edge of the drawing board, it will be apparent that the entire T-square and clip may be moved from position to position by grasping the head of the T-Square in one hand and the clip in the other hand, exerting pressure in the desired direction, which will cause the T-square head andthe clip to slide along their respective edges. When the pressure is released, the spring clip secures the T-square in the desired position.

Although we have shown and described several V illustrative embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that various details of the structures shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the invention as defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. A device for holding a T-square on a drawing board, comprising a body plate of resilient sheet material shaped to form a tongue continuing from said plate and bent back upon said plate to form with the plate an open-ended resilient clamp adapted to embrace one longitudinal edge of the T-square blade and grasp the broad faces of said blade and an arm depending at right angles from said body plate and disposed generally parallel to said tongue, said arm having a resilient tongue bent to bear against the edge of a drawing board on which the T-square may be mounted remote from the head of the T-square and to coact with said clamp to exert a pull on the head directed along the blade of the T-square.

2. A device for holding a T-square on a draw- 4 ing board, comprising a body plate of resilient sheet material shaped to form a tongue continuing from said plate and bent back upon said plate to form with the plate an open-ended resilient clamp adapted to embrace one longitudinal edge of the T-square blade and grasp the broad faces of said blade and an arm depending at right angles from said body plate and disposed generally parallel to. said] tongue,` said arm having a tongue bent inwardly upon itself to formv a resilient loop adapted to bear against the edge of a drawing board on which the T-square may be mounted remote from the head of the T-square and coasting with said clamp to exert a longitudinal pull on the T-square blade in the direction away from the head.

JOHN P. GIBBONS.

WILLIAM P. MCGUIRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 375,030 Weed Dec. 20, 1887 v1,121,512 Krauss Dec. 15, 1914 1,498,994 Borsuk June 24, 1924 2,326,301 Leiel Aug. 10, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 151,707 Switzerland Mar. 1, 1932 173,148 Germany July 7, 1906 

